Most Active Web Users are Young, Affluent
The majority of young, affluent Web users are male, on broadband, and "super net vets."
Internet users between the ages of 25 and 34, with household incomes over $75,000, are more active online than the overall U.S. Web population. Most of these “young affluents online” are male and connected to broadband as well, according to a report by JupiterResearch.
“We’ve isolated a demographic that can be classified as early adopters,” said Vikram Sehgal, senior analyst at JupiterResearch. “The are predominantly tech-savvy males, with higher incomes, higher broadband connectivity, with the desire and ability to purchase new products. So to marketers, they constitute an attractive group to target, on- and offline, because they have a lot of purchasing power.”
The report finds a full 74 percent of this upper-income demographic are male, compare to 49 percent of the overall online population. Some 55 percent are connected to broadband, compared to 33 percent of overall Web users. Meanwhile, 84 percent of this demographic are what JupiterResearch calls “super net veterans,” with five or more years of online experience. That figure compares with the 51 percent of the overall Internet-using audience in the U.S. in the same veteran category.
About 65 percent of these young, online affluents are upbeat about the Web. They believe the Internet increases the efficiency of their daily lives, as opposed to the 43 percent of the overall online population who hold that view.
| Demographic Comparison of Online Young Affluent Population with Young Adults Overall Online Users | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Adults with Income of $75K or More | Young Adults with Income Less than $75K | Overall Online Users | ||
| 72% Male | 57% Male | 49% Male | ||
| 55% Broadband | 30% Broadband | 33% Broadband | ||
| 84% Super Net vets | 44% Super Net vets | 51% Super Net vets | ||
| 65% Believe the Internet makes them more efficient | 43% Believe the Internet makes them more efficient | 43% Believe the Internet makes them more efficient | ||
| Note: Young Adults are ages 25 to 34. | ||||
| Source: 2004 JupiterResearch, a division of Jupitermedia Corp. | ||||
Young affluents also account for more activity across a broader range of online activities than the overall Web audience. The report found they browse more, consume more entertainment and media, and conduct more personal business online. For example, over 62 percent of the young affluents bank online, compared with 42 percent of overall users.
Currently, the total young adult population, which includes both affluent and non-affluent segments, is just under 28 million, a number that will grow to 31 million in 2008. This represents an increase from 81 to 88 percent of the overall young online population. Overall online retail spending of that group is expected to reach $20 billion by 2008.
“While we don’t have specific spending data for the affluent segment of that population, we expect them to account for a much higher share of that total spending,” Sehgal said.
